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[jodizzle]

Hey guys I went to the doctor today and he told me I can start non-contact training in January when we start back after break and start contact again in February!  I AM BACK IN THE GAME BITCHES!

Next year I am going to show everyone what a goddamn good derby player I am, seeing as I never got the chance to make it public this year!  2011 - Year of the Lil Outlaw!

[squawk]

I forgot how fun it is to play music every day...

awesome page break, btw

[Patrick]

awesome page break

Have to agree.

Jodie I am very glad to hear you'll be back playing soon. It is pretty rad that we know a human steamroller.

Dear guys,

For the last two days I have found adult XL-sized Batman and Iron Man 2 underpants just laying in various places. I think there is a serial troll wandering about the store, putting amusing items around in the oddest of places. I found tonight's Iron Man 2 in the ethnic food aisle. Batman was found on my last shift in the pets section.

It's unlikely, but this is the thought that entertains my head daily. I secretly hope somebody's been doing this just to see if anybody would notice. The most harmless of pranks. It has made my day two days in a row so whatever.

[Ladybug]

(I realize this is boring as fuck to read, so just skip over it. I just need to vent.)

Guess whose fault it is that a certain brother woke up in a really fucking pissy mood after being woken up by banging on the door, when he had asked me to wake him up and the first attempt with regular knocking on the door didn't wake him up at all.

Yeah, that's right: Mine! Because obviously, I can control and guess his reactions to things and should wake him up in a "civilized" manner so he doesn't get pissed off by something fucking stupid. He's so pissed off that we can't clean the basement together like planned, and obviously his plans for tonight can't be changed, so now I'm stuck with cleaning tonight because he wants to clean his part now.

I want to go back to Trondheim. Or send him back, or something. We're fucking adults, he shouldn't be making me cry regularly when we're both at home.

[Joseph]

Ahhhhhh last exam ahhhhhhhh

Wish me well!

[Metope]

MAY IS THROUGH SECURITY AND HER BAG IS CHECKED IN YAYYY FINALLY!

[Edith]

WWWWOOOOOOOOO!

[Lines]

Hooray!

In not so good news, I am getting sick. And my GRE is tomorrow. Fuuuuuuuuck.

[tania]

aaah i just got my grades for the semester back and not only did i not fail out of my program (with the level of coursework and how terrible i performed in my research course i was actually pretty legitimately concerned about failing out of my program) i actually did really well! i am going to eat so many cookies like immediately

[valley_parade]

Well done, Tania!

I'd bake you some celebratory cookies if we weren't mortal enemies.

[tania]

thanks shane! everything kind of hung in the balance of how i did in this one advanced statistics analysis course which is basically the hardest thing i will ever have to take here (except for the next level up, but that's only going to happen if i decide to do the phd) so everything else is pretty much just going to get easier and easier from here. i am pretty stoked about the upcoming months.

[scarred]

Warning, highly depressing, personal post coming up.


I used to be in a writer's group. I joined in 8th grade, I was the only one under 30 there, but they really took me in and sort of collectively brought my writing skills way up. One guy in particular, Dan, really took me under his wing. He was encouraging and critical and just an all-around boss. He was also wheelchair-bound for his entire life with some kind of muscular atrophy in his legs/abdomen. But that didn't stop him from being an incredible writer and human. He just recently published his first novel.

First thing I did today was check my email. I found out that he passed away last night.

I've known this dude for 6-7 years and he never seemed ill of health, despite his condition. I left the writer's group two years ago because I moved away for college and stuff, and though we kept in contact, I never really... well, I guess I never got to say goodbye. It's just weird to think about, I guess. The world just lost a real talent and I lost a friend and mentor. It was the writer's group that kept me sane for my first few years after moving here, because I had no friends and no life. Writing was everything and he was a big part of that. I don't know.

tl;dr this post is really rambly and probably incoherent because I just sort of feel in shock right now.

[ummmkay]

internet hugs and sympathetic thoughts coming your way... that sounds pretty rough! will you be able to attend the funeral?

[pwhodges]

It is sad when we cannot say goodbye - and yet being able to can also be incredibly hard; but in either case you have your good memories, and can play your part in ensuring that he is remembered. 

Hugs and sympathy.

[nekowafer]

I'm dealing with that very thing now - being given the chance to say goodbye.

My ferret Inky is just too sick to keep going, but she's not in pain. The vet wanted to put her to sleep last night but I don't think she's ready. I don't like having her life in my hands, pretty much, in that I will choose when we will lose her.. But it's hard to just "pull the plug" when she still has the energy to pick on Bella, and eat her special soup every night.

We'll be back down to three ferrets at that point. And only three medications to dole out. I don't know how I feel about that.

[Jace]

Straight up, this is gonna come off as offensive, but it is just a ferret. I feel like there is a hell of a lot of difference between a person and a ferret.

Also being down to three ferrets is still 2.5 ferrets too many.

[nekowafer]

That is incredibly offensive. She is a part of my family, and I consider her to be much like a child. Would you say the same about a dog, or a cat? And really, even if you would - that is just insensitive of you. I wasn't comparing her to a human, not that I believe it matters either way.

[Lines]

There is a difference between a pet and a person, but emotional attachments to pets can be quite different than that to people. Just saying. (Edit: neko posted before I could. I am more emotionally invested in my pets than I am in most other people. Losing a pet is like losing a family member, for serious.)

Sorry about your friend, scarred. Sudden deaths like that are pretty tough to process.

[Tom]

Many people have a rational disgust of whole ferrets, Jace is one of them.

[sean]

dude nick, my condolences. dan sounds like he was one hell of a dude and i'm sure he'll be missed.

nekowafer, dude, its a ferret. its life was spent in a cage. i mean it sucks when pets you keep die but really its a ferret and no i wouldn't say the same about a cat or a dog, because you can actually interact with a cat or a dog beyond looking in a cage and thinking "oh what a nice pet they are so cute i think i am going to feed it today!"

[nekowafer]

That's ridiculous. I interact with them plenty. They are out for several hours a day, playing, and I enjoy being around them. They're not cage-bound, and they have personalities and are awesome. More playful than my cat, in fact.

Please, no more comments on this. I can't even explain how upsetting this is, despite coming from anonymous internet people.

[Lines]

Obviously neko really cares about her ferrets, so get over it dudes. They're her pets, not yours.

[scarred]

thanks for the kind words guys. now i am gonna go mourn the only way i know how, and get stupid drunk.


also for what it's worth neko, i wasn't offended by your post, losing pets, especially close ones, is super shitty.

[Dazed]

Condolences to everyone who's lost friends and pets and such, sorry to hear about your losses, and best wishes to you.

And yeah, it's a very dick move to question the validity of someone's grief. If you don't get it, fine, let it go.

[Edith]

Scarred and Neko, I'm so sorry for your losses. It sucks to lose someone you care about.

[tania]

it's a very dick move to question the validity of someone's grief

smart words, right here

[StaedlerMars]

So, all of Flanders is running extremely low on its salt stocks for motorways. Rad!

[Zingoleb]

Scarred and Neko, I'm so sorry for your losses. It sucks to lose someone you care about.

[jhocking]

I have never before seen a TV commercial for DnD and I'm watching one right now. It's terrible, just some shitty fantasy illustrations  scrolling across the screen. At least there's no voice over.

[tania]

its life was spent in a cage. i mean it sucks when pets you keep die but really its a ferret and no i wouldn't say the same about a cat or a dog, because you can actually interact with a cat or a dog beyond looking in a cage and thinking "oh what a nice pet they are so cute i think i am going to feed it today!"

this isn't really true, ferrets are actually really intelligent and affectionate and the relationship that owners tend to have with them really is a lot closer to that of a cat or dog than it is to a rodent. my sister had a ferret when i was much younger and i don't remember much because of my age but she was incredibly attached to her and subsequently really devastated for months when she had to be put to sleep. i can see how it would be easy to assume they're just dumb animals if you have never had one, but any kind of intelligent and affectionate pet always becomes your friend eventually and losing friends always sucks balls no matter who they are.

[snalin]

I'm sure I passed my maths exams, they went quite well. Not going to get good grades, though, and that's a shame, but this is the first semester of probably five years+ of education, so I'll consider this lesson learned; work more.

I'm considering changing courses, nothing drastic, just the other comp. science course. They are similar next semester, except from one class, which is linear algebra for the other course, and something called "practical web-design" for the one I'm taking, which sounds like it's pretty much analysis of web pages. Practical my ass.

I'm pretty sure I'll need linear algebra at a later point and I'm completely sure that the web-design thing is useless (that's also what I've heard from anyone who's ever taken it), but the problem is that I'll be stuck on the other course after this, and in the later years there's some mandatory courses which involves kinda fringy maths stuff that's not really interesting. I'll have to hear if I can jump a bit back and forth and still be allowed to get a bachelor in three years.

[Lines]

I think I did well on my GRE! I called my mom to ask what she thought (she does graduate admissions for a health science program) and she said I did better than some of the incoming grads they've accepted. So yay!

But now I am miserable because pretty much right as I left my test, whatever it is I have hit me in full force and now it hurts to get out of bed. I think it's bronchitis or something related, but if I feel worse tomorrow I'm going to have to go to the doctor. I don't want to be sick on Christmas!

[Patrick]

I have gone to bed no earlier than 4am for two weeks.

[JimmyJazz]

Welcome to insomnia! Benefits include alone time, watching hilariously bad late-night infomercials and playing addictive flash games on the interwebs.

[StaedlerMars]

I'm considering changing courses, nothing drastic, just the other comp. science course. They are similar next semester, except from one class, which is linear algebra for the other course, and something called "practical web-design" for the one I'm taking, which sounds like it's pretty much analysis of web pages. Practical my ass.

I'm pretty sure I'll need linear algebra at a later point and I'm completely sure that the web-design thing is useless (that's also what I've heard from anyone who's ever taken it), but the problem is that I'll be stuck on the other course after this, and in the later years there's some mandatory courses which involves kinda fringy maths stuff that's not really interesting. I'll have to hear if I can jump a bit back and forth and still be allowed to get a bachelor in three years.

Linear algebra is a bitch but it's a useful bitch later on. If you ever figure out what eigenvectors are for get back to me!

[The Seldom Killer]

I'm quite envious of people's academic achievements. I've always loved being in a learning environment but alas its an exercise in futility as I can't seem to demonstrate that I've actually learnt anything.

[Johnny C]

its life was spent in a cage. i mean it sucks when pets you keep die but really its a ferret and no i wouldn't say the same about a cat or a dog, because you can actually interact with a cat or a dog beyond looking in a cage and thinking "oh what a nice pet they are so cute i think i am going to feed it today!"

this isn't really true, ferrets are actually really intelligent and affectionate and the relationship that owners tend to have with them really is a lot closer to that of a cat or dog than it is to a rodent. my sister had a ferret when i was much younger and i don't remember much because of my age but she was incredibly attached to her and subsequently really devastated for months when she had to be put to sleep. i can see how it would be easy to assume they're just dumb animals if you have never had one, but any kind of intelligent and affectionate pet always becomes your friend eventually and losing friends always sucks balls no matter who they are.

uhhh yeah what. there are two people on this page who have ultimately had an emotional connection between them and another sentient being irrevocably severed. why would you possibly offer anything beyond your condolences

[Tom]

My neighbour is looking after his grandkids' border collie and oh my god he is the best doggie ever and I want to keep him forever and ever and ever.

[Jimmy the Squid]

So for those of you who have not been following my facebook page or my previous blog thread posts, or listening to me bitch and whine in meebo, I hate my job. I had an old job at a call centre in which I was usually pretty miserable. Getting paid minimum wage for the industry (about $33,000 a year), getting abused by dickheads all day (even though they were calling me) and just generally not having a great time. I had been looking for a new job for about a year before I was offered a job in a bottleshop/liquorstore/off license at the beginning of this month.
My current job is retarded for a number of reasons but the main one is the fact that I'm expected to work 50 hours a week while only being paid for 40 with no overtime or holiday loading or anything. It is pretty ridiculous. I was hoping to get my old job back, merely because at least with my old job I was able to go to band practice and see my girlfriend, whom I live with, for more than maybe an hour a day. I didn't get my old job back. Apparently there is just no room for anymore people (they hire a bunch of temps over the holidays) so I can check again in a few months if I want.

I have been applying for a bunch of other stuff since that time and have just today had two phone calls. One is for another call centre, this time offering $50,000 a year and a 38 hour week, though it is kind of a bitch to get to but it sounds a damn sight better than what I'm doing currently. The second phone call is for a job that I applied for, got and then turned down back in November because frankly I wasn't sure that I wanted to be a travel agent. Basically they called me to say they saw a second application I made earlier today and wanted to know if I'd like to have a chat about maybe getting the job anyway and not have to do any of the interviews again. The money is a bit less, but apparently the commission scheme is pretty good and it would be much easier to get to and from but still. Money. Money would be nice.

[Patrick]

I guess the decisive factors would be "how much will my salary grow" and "time".

Also, I imagine that as a travel agent you'd get sweet-ass deals on trips and would get to learn about a bunch of other countries. I know a lot of travel agents in a lot of different places and they seem to have experiences like that. Maybe they're just lucky?

[The Seldom Killer]

I only ever decide to pursue jobs on two criteria.

Am I being enough for the effort and work I will be doing?

and

Will I derive some enjoyment and satisfaction from doing this work?

Although given the current economic climate and my impending unemployment, that may be revised to Will I earn enough to live on and can I cope with doing this job until things get better.

[jhocking]

I'm pretty sure I'll need linear algebra at a later point

A good primer on one application of linear algebra:
http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/07/linear-algebra-for-game-developers-part-1/

Will I derive some enjoyment and satisfaction from doing this work?

One of my most important criteria is a special case of this one. I derive the most enjoyment and satisfaction from work when I'm learning stuff, and off the top of my head I would imagine you'll learn more from a travel agent job than a call center. Although, aren't travel agencies kind of a dying industry what with internet flight bookings? I don't know anyone who's used a travel agent in years.

[Jimmy the Squid]

I guess the decisive factors would be "how much will my salary grow" and "time".

Also, I imagine that as a travel agent you'd get sweet-ass deals on trips and would get to learn about a bunch of other countries. I know a lot of travel agents in a lot of different places and they seem to have experiences like that. Maybe they're just lucky?

Yeah cheap travel is a big thing (not that i have any time to go anywhere). I guess basically what I have to toss up between is a reeeeaaaally good salary now but a very boring and probably unpleasent job with reasonable hours (though I'll still have to reschedule band practice because I'll be working til 9pm every night), or a shitty salary (less than my old job) but with extra money if i'm good at it (possible?) and better hours.

[valley_parade]

Jimmy be a travel agent so you can get me a cheap flight to Australia.

[Slick]

Jimmy be my significant other and be a stewardess so you can get me a cheap flight to Australia.

[Barmymoo]

I intend to always use a travel agent for holidays from now on, because if you have an agent they sort out your cancelled flights for you but if you do it yourself you have to sit on hold for ten million years.

GUYS I AM TOTALLY IN NORWAY AND IT IS AWESOME. Soooooo cold, I have never felt such cold. Kris pointed out that it is colder than most freezers, and it sure feels like it. but it is lovely and warm inside and the whole family is a lot of fun (and speak such good English that I feel ashamed I only know six words in Norwegian).

Also I got a job and I am going to Paris for six months in two weeks. BABIES.

[bainidhe_dub]

My Target decided to start stocking Tim Tams. (om nom nom)

[Verergoca]

Huzzah, i have a week off! Last time off, was had back in juli. 5 months without a day off feels way long! (This however, will mean i have 12 weeks of holiday/compensation next year... Now to get the funds together, and have the lady graduate, and then we can spend a monthandahalf in Oz!)

[Lines]

May, that's awesome!

[Barmymoo]

Happy to serve.